The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) may not be the first thing to come to mind when hearing the term “accidental landlord,” yet, that’s exactly what happened as they developed the Aviva Stadium in Dublin during the late 90s and early 2000s. A peek into the Land Registry reveals the IRFU is a proud owner of a dozen redbrick properties on Lansdowne Road and Havelock Square, with a few more scattered on Shelbourne Road. Recognising an opportunity for profit, the association decided to expand into the rental industry.
However, not all has been smooth sailing, as evidenced by a recent disagreement that the Residential Tenancies Board adjudicated between the IRFU and the occupants of 68 Shelbourne Road, a property located in Dublin 4 that the IRFU owns. This dispute resulted in the tenants, Kevin Arundel and Jillian Mulcahy – proprietors of the local Chop House bar and eatery in Ballsbridge – being ordered to compensate the IRFU with €12,000 in rental back payments to be paid in three instalments of €4,000 over the coming three months. An additional €117 was demanded for violations of the rental agreement.
Interestingly, their gastro pub, endorsed by the late Anthony Bourdain as offering the “best bloody meal” he’d had in Dublin, has become a favoured watering hole for rugby enthusiasts on their way to Aviva Stadium.
In a separate aspect, the conclusion of the Eurovision final in Malmö last week saw the artist Bambie Thug publicly denouncing the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). However, closer scrutiny reveals that several influential figures within the EBU, a largely forgotten organisation until its annual Eurovision event, actually supported the Irish entrant’s victory. Among them, the EBU’s director general and ex-head of Ireland’s RTÉ, Noel Curran, who is originally from Carrickmacross, had notably navigated the challenging discussions over Israel throughout the week. Walking through the corridors of the EBU’s headquarters in Geneva must surely remind Curran of his home country, Ireland.
Former RTÉ managing director Glen Killane now serves as EBU’s executive director of Eurovision Sport, and is tasked with securing sporting rights for public service broadcasters throughout Europe. Previously, Ray Colgan, another ex-RTÉ reporter, acted as the Eurovision news editor up until his departure last year. Maria Flannery and Cathy Milner, both past RTÉ employees as well, now have positions within the EBU, serving as a social newsgathering journalist and a news editor for Eurovision news exchange respectively. Moreover, several other EBU journalists have beginnings at Storyful, a social media intelligence firm in Ireland, including Derek Bowler, the head of social newsgathering, and associate editor Jenny Hauser.
Additionally, Curran’s wife, Eimear Quinn, is a past winner of the Eurovision contest in 1996 with her song “The Voice.”
In other news, the town of Howth is forging forward with plans to form a twinship with Cap d’Ail, nestled between Nice and Monaco on the French south coast. This move is despite opposition from local sects and council representatives, some of who would prefer Brittany as a twinning choice. However, efforts to delay the plans in a council meeting last month were not successful. It appears that Howth, a northern Dublin fishing village, is on its way to formalising ties with the stylish Riviera town once called home by celebrities Greta Garbo and Jean Cocteau.
In the real estate scene, Dómhnal Slattery, a famed aircraft leasing tycoon, has parted ways with one of his two Dublin-based Ailesbury Road properties. Slattery, who stepped down as Avolon’s CEO in 2022, originally bought Ouragh, once owned by developer Seán Dunne and his former spouse Gayle Killilea, four years ago at €5.6 million. Slattery has chosen to rent out his second home on the same road rather than selling it.
Once upon a time, Ailesbury Road was home to a mansion owned by an unknown individual. This story took a turn recently, when the property, priced at €6.5 million, was bought by Diarmuid McKillop, a prosperous Irish real estate mogul based in Monaco, the majority of his wealth sourced from the UK. McKillop’s spouse, Yana, happens to be a celebrated fashion stylist, promising a potential visual treat of their new home.
In interconnected news, the leadership of the National Party has been stirring up turmoil with allegations of vanished gold bullion. Justin Barrett, notorious for citing Hitler on numerous occasions, claimed to be the victorious party when the Electoral Commission shunned both his and ex-vice president James Reynolds’ assertions for validating the rightful party leadership. Barrett interpreted the gridlock as an indication of his implicit control over the party, leading to both individuals now contesting in the Midlands-North West European constituency under the National Party. However, Reynolds’ ambitions to lead haven’t been quashed. He contested the Electoral Commission’s decision last week, as reportedly mentioned in Iris Oifigiúil, hinting that High Court might be seen as another potential venue if necessary.
Meanwhile, in the land of the left-handed, Simon Harris was spotted at the Dáil, absorbed in noting down proceedings with his left hand. If Miriam Lord’s observation is to be trusted, Harris appears to belong to a lineage of political leaders being left-dominant. Although left-handed individuals or ‘ciotógs’ represent a meagre 10% of the overall population, Harris isn’t alone in his community with predecessors including Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen at the helm of the government. Historical figures like Ronald Reagan, George Bush Snr, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama proved that the ordeal of using tin openers didn’t come in their way of climbing to the apex.
It feels as though this once-persecuted faction is determined to rule the world. Yet, it begs the questions, what is their agenda? And when are they planning their strikes?